Africa is a long continent. It stretches for over three thousand kilometers from the equator in both directions, north and south. The equator itself runs through the middle of the continent. The Tropic of Cancer runs through the northern parts of the continent, whereas the Tropic of Capricorn runs through the southern parts of the continent.



Africa is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea in the north, the Atlantic in the west, and the Indian Ocean in the east.

The African continent consists mostly of highland areas, which are located over hundreds of meteres above sea level. Near the equator, there are lowland areas dominated by rainforest. 

There are only a few large lakes in Africa. However, there are a great number of rivers running through the continent.